


Housing Inscurities

by morrezela



Series: Man in the Water [4]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-12
Updated: 2013-03-12
Packaged: 2017-12-05 01:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/717467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morrezela/pseuds/morrezela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Man in the Water' Timestamp: Jared has doubts about the special Valentine’s Day gift  he made for Jensen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Housing Inscurities

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was for a Valentine’s Day fic meme. 
> 
> The request was for a timestamp to Man in the Water. I highly suggest you read that first or this won’t make as much sense.
> 
> All mistakes you find are my own.

The little house mocks Jared as he stares at it. Technically, it is perfect. If he built a life scale of it, the structure would be sound. Captain Joe’s house and hideaway would be a fully functional, crime fighting lair.

The quality of the work isn’t what bothers him though. Jared knows that he is good at making buildings. What he doesn’t have faith in is his ability to make sound relationship decisions. Every morning he gets up and wonders if today is the day that Jensen tells him goodbye. It won’t be Jensen’s fault when it happens. Jared just isn’t good at keeping a hold of anybody.

He is fundamentally damaged in that area. Even though Jensen loves him despite the faults that other lovers have found, Jared has full trust in his ability to find something that will drive Jensen away. If it isn’t his poor sexual performance or clingy public behavior, it will be his doubts that finally get Jensen to throw in the towel. There is a limit to any man’s patience, and Jared just knows that someday he will find Jensen’s.

The funny part is that he knows he is overthinking things. He knows this will eventually grate on Jensen’s nerves, but Jared can’t stop himself. Worry has been his constant companion for years, and it’s hard to kick a friend to the curb even if that friend is dragging you down.

Jensen keeps reassuring him that it won’t happen. He has faith that Jared will get better before he gets tired of Jared’s bullshit. Jared wishes he had that kind of faith in anything. Well, anything besides his absolute belief that he’ll fail at his relationship with Jensen.

He is going to keep trying though. Just because Jared doubts himself, that doesn’t mean that he is going to just give up. He is a pessimist but not a fatalist. There is always that spark of hope inside of him that makes him think that he might just win this time. Maybe he’ll find that magic button that will turn back time to that point where he wasn’t so unsure of himself.

It is a nice fantasy, but his imaginings don’t make the decision about Jensen’s valentine any easier. The little house is nicely crafted, but there are emotional connotations about it that Jared is worried about. Will it remind Jensen of what a creeper his boyfriend is? Captain Joe was appreciated at the time, but will referencing their beginning make Jensen have second thoughts about their future?

Then there is the almost childish nature of the gift. What grown man is going to want a lair for his action figure? It is preposterous, ridiculous and downright stupid. Captain Joe himself was a ridiculous idea, and Jared is just plain lucky that Jensen has horrible taste in men. There isn’t any other excuse for why Jensen keeps coming over and seeing him.

What kind of guy insists on having the lights off in the bedroom? What normal adult is virgin scared every time he has sex? If Jared was in Jensen’s shoes, he knows that would have dumped Jared’s practically frigid ass ages ago. Men aren’t afraid of sex. Men aren’t timid. Real men don’t refuse to stick their dicks inside of their lovers because they’re afraid of ‘doing it wrong.’

Jared barely restrains himself from taking a destructive swing at Captain Joe’s hideaway. Jensen is due over any minute, and he doesn’t have an acceptable substitute for a present. He’d been so certain and sure when he’d started building the little house. It wasn’t until he was almost finished with it that he realized how silly it was.

But there isn’t time for anything else, and Jared can’t abide the idea of giving Jensen no present at all. He knows that most men want sex on Valentine’s Day. The whole sultry seduction thing with sexy clothes is practically required if television is to be believed. There isn’t any hope for Jared to do that though. He knows his limitations.

The doorbell rings, because Jensen is a gentleman like that, and the dogs start barking excitedly. When Jared opens the door, he almost slams it back in Jensen’s face. It’s just a gut reaction. The man standing before him is too beautiful, too perfect to be real. Jared can’t live up to such beauty.

When Jensen wears his sweater vests and khakis and adorable wire framed glasses, Jared can handle how gorgeous he is. He can make himself see the tiny imperfections that his boyfriend has, and he can keep the panic away. He can focus on how Jensen’s ears push away from his head just the tiniest bit too much. He can notice the way that Jensen can smile wrong and all of a sudden look like he’s twelve. He can twist from the right angle, and Jensen will look for the briefest of moments like some high school thug.

But when Jensen is all polished up and groomed and sexy? Jared has problems dealing with how out of his league Jensen is. Gazing from afar had been one thing. Being upfront and personal with that amazing body is something completely different.

“Breathe, Jared,” Jensen orders as he makes his way into the house without invitation.

“I’m breathing,” Jared argues defensively.

“Sure you are,” Jensen chuckles as he takes hold of Jared’s hand and brings it up to his mouth for a kiss.

Jensen is kissing the back of his hand. Jared feels like he is going to melt from the romance of the gesture. He also feels the slightest bit insulted. Maybe Jensen thinks he’s a big girl or something.

“I made you a gift,” Jared blurts out before his conflicting feelings can finish having their war so that the victor can come out of his mouth.

“Yeah?” Jensen says as a smile pulls across his face. The corners of his eyes crinkle with the force of it, and Jared has to turn away and lead Jensen to his work room before he gets caught gawking at the sight.

“It’s kind of silly,” Jared announces as he stops in the hallway outside of his work area. Jensen arches an eyebrow at him like he thinks that Jared is the silly one.

“I mean it,” Jared protests.

“Jared, just let me see it. I’m sure it’s great,” Jensen reasons. He leaves off the part about him thinking that Jared is a big worrywart who thinks the relationship sky is going to fall at any minute, and Jared is sort of grateful for that.

It is Valentine’s Day after all. Discussions about neuroses aren’t exactly romantic.

When Jensen makes his way into the room to see Captain Joe’s miniature home, Jared can’t help but blush. His heart is pounding in his chest, and he feels the most awful urge to flee roil up inside of him. He clenches his eyes tight. He doesn’t want to see the look of disappointment that he just knows is going to steal across Jensen’s classic features. Jared is the kind of coward who only wants to deal with the schooled mask of pleasantry. Raw honesty is for heartier folk.

“Jared, it’s perfect,” Jensen says, his voice warm and soothing.

Jared doesn’t truly believe him, but he opens his eyes to see Jensen looking at him fondly. He is smiling again, but this time it is a tiny, pleased grin. It doesn’t look like he is faking it.

“You mean it?” he asks, and Jensen’s smile turns into one of amusement.

“At least I know my boyfriend hasn’t been abducted by aliens,” he mutters as he leans up to give Jared a peck on his cheek. “I brought you candy. I’d have made you something in my nifty workshop too, but I didn’t think that you’d want a paperclip chain.”

“Candy is good,” Jared exhales the words more than he says them. The relief he feels is heady.

“Mmm, dinner will be better. And after dinner we can go back to my apartment and get Captain Joe. I’d take his house back with me, but you know how the roommates are,” Jensen says with a shrug.

Jared represses a shudder at the memory of Jensen’s roommates. They’re eccentrically bohemian. He is amazed that they haven’t done something horrible to all of Jensen’s sedate secretary clothing.

“Are you going to, you know, bring yourself over too? For the night I mean,” Jared asks with a blush. He isn’t sure that he’ll be in the mood after talking to Jensen’s cohorts, but he also knows that he hasn’t spent as much time with Jensen as he’d like to lately. Snuggling on the couch and maybe getting a little frisky because of it could be doable.

“That an invitation?” Jensen teases.

Jared hesitates for a moment, but then nods firmly. “Yeah, yeah it is.”


End file.
